Orihime's Training
by Vadou
Summary: Right after Ichigo was first defeated by Yhwach, Inoue, willing to help his beloved friend, starts to train. Aiming at helping him defeate their greatest enemy, things turned out differently. Ten years after, despite peace was brought back to the human world, things have become akward between Ichigo and Inoue, what could be the reason?


**Inoue Orihime's training**

The weather was stormy. The thunder rumbling, sometimes far, sometimes near, the rain that came to hit the window in irregular intervals, the wind whistling through the gaps, all had something threatening about them. She could feel it. Perhaps it was due to the increase in her powers, but Inoue had acquired a kind of sixth sense beforehand. And the premonition she had on that rainy evening was not a happy one. It was characterized by cold sweats, deep fear and headaches. This foreboding must have been the darkest she had ever felt, for a new symptom was being felt: a regular tremor was starting from her right thigh and spreading through the rest of her body. Inoue then realized that the tremor had nothing to do with her premonition, but rather with her mobile phone signaling her a call. It was Urahara Kisuke, Ichigo's extravagant inventor and mentor. "Good evening, Kisuke-san" she said in an apprehensive voice, "Good evening, Orihime-chan!" he replied in his usual high-pitched voice. No, there was something different in his voice. As if he was forcing his natural tendency to hide his emotions. "What's going on Kisuke-san?" she asked. There was a short silence at the end of the phone. "I guess there's no point in hiding it from you any longer, you'll find out eventually" Urahara replied in a deep tone, "Can you meet me at the store? ». After agreeing to meet at his place ten minutes later, Inoue put on a sweater and a K-way, left her house and ran towards the meeting place. She had never heard Urahara express himself other than in a casual or joking tone, which reinforced the fear born of her foreboding. She finally arrived at the store, completely soaked and out of breath. Urahara gave her a few minutes to dry off and catch her breath. They sat down around a coffee table. Urahara made some tea and began to tell the story of the tragedy that had just happened.

She had not been mistaken, as she feared, the situation was critical. The Quincys, distant enemies of the Shinigamis, calling themselves the "Sternritters" and led by their leader Yhwach, had invaded the Soul Society and massacred many of them. Driven by a vengeful spirit that had been maturing for a thousand years, the natural enemies of the Shinigamis had appeared out of nowhere and attacked in many places before mysteriously disappearing. Among the victims was Vice Captain Chōjirō Sasakibe, a soldier known for his strength, who had reached the Bankai but had always refused to be promoted to Captain of one of the Thirteen Divisions simply out of loyalty to his own Captain. But even harder on the morale of the troops was the defeat of the Captain of the Eleventh Division, Zaraki Kenpachi, known for his overwhelming power. Urahara paused for a brief moment. Inoue felt there was something more. That it was about Ichigo. Urahara probably gave him time to assimilate before attacking the most painful part. Kurosaki Ichigo, the human who had developed Shinigami powers and the boy she had fallen in love with had also been defeated. Although he had no wounds, his Zanpakutō, the "soul-slicing sword" and source of Shinigami power, had been destroyed in his Bankai form. As the most powerful form of the Zanpakutō, it was the one that involved the strongest link between the Shinigami's soul and his power. This event could be traumatic. There was no guarantee that Ichigo would be able to fight again, or at least at full strength. Furthermore, if the Shinigamis could not stop Yhwach, he would destroy the world and its people and reshape it to suit his own convenience. It took a few moments, which seemed like years for Inoue, to assimilate this last information. Then, before she could ask her any questions, Yoruichi, who had been hiding in a corner of the room until then, came out of the shadows. Chad had already been warned the day before, and had begun training to strengthen himself for the next clashes. "The real question now is what are you going to do, Inoue?" She asked. "Are you still going to lament your fate and pray for Ichigo to come out of it? Or are you going to stand by his side and fight? ». The answer was obvious. It had always been obvious. From the first time Ichigo had saved her and then again when she got to know him. He may not have shared her feelings, but they did exist. Her debt to Ichigo had never diminished, she finally had the chance to repay it.

So she began her own training in the special room in the basement of the store. Where it all started two years earlier for her, Chad, Uryū and Ichigo. Under Yoruichi's supervision, she first started by improving her stamina, alternately launching her spiritual abilities. These were four in number: Santen Kesshun "protective heavenly shield", Koten Zanshun "sharp heavenly shield", Sōten Kisshun "shield of the two heavens, return" cancelling any injury suffered and Shiten Kōshun "shield of the four heavens, counter" protecting and returning the enemy attack. Yoruichi's instruction was simple. She was to launch her offensive abilities on a rock, while she herself would attack Inoue at random, forcing her to protect herself. The morning stopped when Inoue could no longer cast a spell, or when she was hit three times by Yoruichi. At the beginning, the second rule was not applied because Inoue was too slow to perceive the Shinigami's movements. After a week, she managed to block a first blow. Then, day after day, exhaustion became the condition to stop training. But it was no picnic. Indeed, Inoue had to raise her arms to cast each of her spells, which caused her to suffer from intense cramps and aches both in her arms and especially in her shoulders. She was also exhausted by the fact that she had to draw on her spiritual power without restraint. She would regularly faint, spit blood, tremble or feel dizzy at any time of the day or night. But this was the price she had to pay if she wanted to be useful to Ichigo. After two weeks of relentless training, Inoue could now simultaneously cast offensive and defensive spells for hours at a time. Her mentor decided it was time to move on to the second phase of her training. What Inoue really lacked was real combat experience. Of course, she had already fought Hollows with her friends when these monsters invaded the real world to devour human souls. But she had never fought alone, nor had she ever experienced the experience of death. Using a technique developed by Urahara, Yoruichi was able to create clones of herself that were less resilient, but equal in offensive power. Inoue was then able to compete with them for days on end. But she began to make much slower progress in this area. The goal was to have her fight three enemies first and then increase by one per day. However, it was clear from the very first day that Inoue could not face that many. She began by facing only one clone, which she found difficult to defeat. A week went by before she was able to face three clones, which was the goal of the first day. This failure, combined with the physical tiredness of the previous days, was the end of Inoue's mind. She spent the night crying, and faced Yoruichi's clones without conviction and stagnated at three clones for another week. The Shinigami-woman warned Urahara of the situation and they changed their plans. Perhaps a joint training session with Chad would help to re-motivate her. The four fighters then gathered at Urahara's house and planned regular fighting between Inoue and Chad, with the latter being disabled. But nothing helped, Inoue no longer had the motivation to offer any resistance to her friend in a one-on-one fight. At the end of the third day, although aware of the problem, he did not stop the fight when Inoue was no longer able to fight. On the contrary, he gave her another ten blows, sending her waltzing into the training room. "Is that all you are capable of, Orihime?" Chad asked, visibly angry. "Is this all you can do to help Ichigo? ». Yes, that was all she was capable of. She was weak. Too weak to pretend to be useful to Ichigo. Too weak to pretend to be his friend. "They told you what happened to him, didn't they? Doesn't that bother you? You probably think everything's going to be okay, that everything's going to be okay because it's Ichigo and he always got by without us. But what if this time he can't? You don't mind giving him up? ». He gave him a blow. "You're right in the end, Ichigo doesn't need someone like you.". Then another blow. "You're not only weak, you're also a coward!". Another blow. "I doubt you even considered him your friend, if such a small disappointment is enough to discourage you." It was more than she could bear. In a scream of rage and revolt, Inoue threw a Shiten Kōshun containing all her residual spiritual power, setting off an explosion that shook the floor of the hall. As the dust fell again, Inoue had risen, tears running down her cheeks. "Yes it's true, I'm weak, what Ichigo needs is someone strong like you at his side to help him fight. Still... Still, I still want to be with him. I know I don't have the right, but it's what I want the most in this world! ». She fell to her knees, exhausted. Chad had also gotten up. His arm had multiple fractures. "It's true, I am stronger than you Orihime. However, could someone weak have inflicted such an injury on me, who am strong? Besides, you're wrong about one thing. Ichigo never needed someone strong. None of us were able to really help him in the battle against Aizen. Yet he came through and he still considers us all as his loved ones. What he needs right now is more trustworthy people to support him than a Good Samaritan to fight in his place. Do you understand what I'm saying?". She could only nod her head, so tight was her throat and her chest hurt. How could she have given up? She had to pull herself together, not for herself but for Ichigo. No more whining about her weakness, serious things were about to begin. Urahara and Yoruichi watched their students confront each other the next few days with a satisfied and benevolent look on their faces.

Meanwhile, Ichigo Kurosaki had joined the highest stratum of the Soul Society, the Zero Division, and protector of the Spiritual King, along with Rukia, Renji and Byakuya. He was hoping to find a way to repair his Zanpakutō, while taking his friends to the healing spell specialist. There he met Ōetsu, the Shinigami who had created the Zanpakutō, the source of the Shinigami's power and fighting style. Although he was a bit old-fashioned, using poor rhymes and a questionable rhythm, he agreed to help Ichigo with his sword, while his friends went to another member of Division Zero for healing and training. After the famous blacksmith evaluated him, he agreed to rebuild his Zanpakutō. Ichigo learned more about the origin of his powers on this occasion, including the true nature of his Zanpakutō, which consisted of not one but two swords, one long and one short, with different powers. He then understood the reason why his sword had broken: it was immature and unstable, just like his power. But now, with his new power in hand, Ichigo would be able to confront Yhwach.

Inoue and Chad's training had finally come to an end. After a few days of rest to regain their spiritual energy and heal their wounds, the two friends were able to choose the equipment they would take with them to battle. For Inoue, Yoruichi had chosen the outfit. Full of mischief and very observant, she had chosen a tight, white dress, with some spaces without fabric that enhanced the already generous shapes of the young woman. "Yoruichi-san?! Are you sure that this outfit is the most appropriate for fighting? I mean, it's... it's... it's... it's a little too daring, don't you think?! ". She stammered, used to more discreet outfits. "Absolutely not, fabric is made to recycle some of the spiritual pressure you're consuming. Plus, you have to be more aggressive in your strategy or you'll never be able to get a hold of him! Men are all the same: they are slow-minded, so it's up to you to make him fall under your spell, rather than waiting for him to understand you." Inoue blushes instantly at these words. "But finally, we're going to the Soul Society to fight, wh-wh-what's the point of that?". "Oh, yes, the goal is to defeat Yhwach, but nothing's stopping you from seducing the man you love, by the way, am I wrong? " Yoruichi asked with an honest smile. Inoue couldn't think of anything else to answer and bowed her head to hide her embarrassment. "All right, are you ready?" Urahara said. "I'll open the portal to the Soul Society then! Hearts up everyone!".

After a series of fights, Inoue and Chad finally joined Ichigo at the top of the Soul Society. Chad, who was exhausted, stayed at the bottom of the stairs to block the way to any enemy who wanted to come in support of Yhwach, who was now sitting in the Spiritual King's room. As they climbed the stairs, Ichigo addressed Inoue: "Despite the training we have all undergone, there is no guarantee that we will be able to win against Yhwach. He has absorbed the body of the Spiritual King, he has become a real monster. It seems that he can even foresee part of the future now. If I had a choice, I'd rather fight alone and have you stay and fix Chad. However, I would need your strength, and I want to hope that I can prevail. I've seen in battle how much better you've gotten. I'm counting on you, Orihime!". It was both the first time Ichigo called her by her first name, and the first time he asked for her help! This simple sentence, pronounced sincerely, was enough to dispel the doubts that still remained in Inoue's mind. He trusted her, she was not going to disappoint him, not after all the progress she had made.

As soon as they entered the throne room, Inoue and Ichigo found themselves helpless in the face of Yhwach's power and ability to predict. Both Inoue's shields and Ichigo's spiritually-charged attacks seemed helpless. Yet Ichigo was not discouraged, attacking relentlessly. Believing she perceived an opening, Inoue launched a double attack, a Koten Zanshun followed by a Shiten Kōshun, using the 6 branches constituting her bar, containing her power. Her attack, however destructive, was swept away by Yhwach with a sword. Inoue fell to her knees, her arms still outstretched towards Ichigo. Tears of rage ran down her cheeks in a desperate attempt to cast a spell. She watched helplessly as Yhwach was defeated and Ichigo sliced him in half. He owed this victory to the unexpected help of Aizen, his former enemy, who had been freed for the occasion and who had been able to deceive Yhwach's faculty, as well as to his father's friend, Ryūken Ishida, who had made Yhwach vulnerable for a short time. Despite the joy and relief of having managed to get rid of the threat, Inoue could not help but feel miserable. More than ever. After Ichigo had trusted her, she had failed to help him, even a little, when he needed it the most.

Two weeks have passed since Yhwach's defeat. The humans who fought alongside the Shinigamis have been given answers for their military action. As a bonus, the Commander-in-Chief of the Thirteen Divisions, Shunsui Kyōraku, even bowed down for the occasion. One had never seen such a mark of respect shown to a human being before. Even less from a high-ranking officer! Back in the real world, the heroes of the Soul Society gradually resumed their daily lives. Due to revisions for the year-end mid-term exams, Ichigo and Orihime did not see each other for almost three more weeks. Even after the graduation ceremony, during group outings, Inoue seemed to avoid Ichigo's gaze. Ichigo could not understand the reason for her discomfort. He had tried to talk about it with Chad and Ishida, but they refused to answer, claiming it was none of their business. Ishida even went so far as to call Ichigo an idiot. Another month passed in a strange atmosphere, with the two young people hardly speaking to each other. One evening Ichigo received a message from Renji. He wanted to take Rukia to visit the real world. After Yhwach's defeat, Renji had confessed to Rukia, who had accepted, to no one's surprise. Renji then proposed to Ichigo to invite his friends to the beach. Chad, Ishida and Inoue were available. They agreed to meet two days later at the local beach, Kanagawa.

It was stifling hot. In fact, Ichigo preferred winter to summer for two reasons. First, he could ski. The second, more pragmatic reason was that he couldn't stand the heat. With an umbrella and a cooler containing sodas, he joined Renji, Rukia and Inoue at the supermarket not far from the beach. Chad and Ishida had both mentioned a rather crazy reason for not coming. At least, with Rukia and Renji there, the strange situation with Inoue wouldn't be insurmountable. He didn't dare imagine what would happen if they were both alone. They walked a little on the beach in search of a sandy spot where they could put down their things and go swimming. Renji and Ichigo closed the walk. "Tell me, Ichigo, is it me or is the atmosphere between you two strange" he asked, pointing at Inoue. "Usually you spend your time teasing or bickering but this time it seems more like you're avoiding each other, am I right?". "Sigh, no, you're right, since the battle against Yhwach, Orihime doesn't want to meet my gaze anymore, it bothers me and I don't know why, but when I want to ask her why, it makes me uncomfortable". Renji sighed, discouraged. How could Ichigo be so good at fighting but so bad at detecting people's feelings? "I can't do everything for you, but if I can give you some advice, ask her directly and be more honest with yourself. ". They finally found a piece of sand available. While Rukia and Renji went swimming, Ichigo and Inoue stayed in the shade of the parasol, her friend also suffering from the heat. After watching their friends splashing around, the discomfort that had settled in between the two young people was felt again. Inoue lowered her head and mechanically stuck her toes into the sand. Ichigo sighed, then scratched the back of his head with his right hand. "Orihime, can I ask you a question? ". "Yes Kurosaki-kun, what do you want to know? ". "Did I do something wrong, or did you dislike it? I feel like for several weeks we've hardly spoken to each other... ". " No, no Kurosaki-kun, you've done absolutely nothing wrong! It's just that... it's something personal, it's coming from me, I wish I could tell you about it but it's too hard, for the moment." said Inoue with a sad look. "So, if you don't have anything against me, can we talk like we used to? ». She nodded shyly. Ichigo's face looked like a sincere smile. He was relieved to be able to get off on the right foot with his friend. He grabbed her arm and dragged her into the water, where the four of them played until the sun went down. After eating, they bought fireworks and enjoyed watching them slowly burn out. It was time to go home, the sun had been setting for a long time. With a trembling hand, Inoue grabbed Ichigo's sleeve. She had wanted to confide in him all day but had never found the right moment. But it had to be today. After Ichigo had taken the first step towards reconciliation, she couldn't stand by and do nothing, it wasn't... honest. In fact, she felt that if she didn't tell him today, she'd never be able to tell him. They both stopped, leaving their couple of friends behind. After a few seconds of hesitation, she went for it. She told him everything. The shame she'd felt, the frustration, the feeling of being useless. The jealousy of seeing her friends fighting beside him. The confession lasted several minutes and ended with a long silence. Ichigo needed a few seconds to assimilate. Everything made sense. Her embarrassed, withdrawn attitude had always followed one of their battles. He then smiled and gently caressed the top of Inoue's head. He confessed himself in return. He had never considered her useless. In fact, she had often served as a source of motivation for him. She, for whom fighting was not innate, had always made desperate efforts to become stronger. Seeing this, how could he have given up? Much more than the need to become strong, it was her strength of will that had helped him in difficult times, be it at Hueco Mundo, during the battle of Karakura and more recently against the Sternritters. He took a short break, as what followed was more personal. Even if, at first, he saw her as an ordinary girl, a bit popular and innocent, he had been touched by her kindness and iron will. He had felt comforted by her smiles and sad when she was. His heart had been aching for the past few weeks. Inoue remained speechless. Was that how Ichigo felt? She had felt like him, with the difference that it had been going on for almost two weeks. Was it possible that he shared her feelings? For one of the first times in her life, she decided to break with her shy nature. She was in danger of ruining their relationship, which had only just recovered, but never mind. She couldn't bear the pain that was tearing at her chest any longer. While keeping her head down, she held out a trembling hand. Her fingers timidly touched Ichigo's fingers and grasped them. She felt her hand become clammy and instantly regretted it. Closing her eyes, she cursed herself for having been so foolish. Anyway, what did she expect? She was taken out of her thoughts by a slight pressure on her fingers. After the moment of surprise, Ichigo had begun to softly squeeze Inoue's hand in return. She then raised her eyes towards him. "Ku-Ku-Kurosaki-kun?" she managed to articulate with difficulty. He gently drew her to him and took her in his arms. "After all we've been through, you still call me by my last name?". "Uh, no... Well, yes... I'm sorry... Ichigo.". That last word, barely inaudible, still reached Ichigo's ear. "Now that we've reconciled and there's no threat on the horizon, how about going out with me?". At first glance, she didn't understand. He was offering her to go back somewhere with their friends. Yes, that must have been it. Seeing the astonishment in her eyes, Ichigo easily guessed his thoughts. "Orihime, don't you understand?" he asked, both embarrassed and amused. "I'm asking you if you want to be my girlfriend.". Then he added, "I love you.". The red rose instantly on his face, all the way up to his ears. After his discomfort passed, he moved away from Orihime. Tears ran down her cheeks. But for the first time since the death of his brother, her tears were different. They were warm and soft. A smile lit up Orihime's face: "I have loved you too, Ichigo, for almost three years. I accept. I mean, of course I accept to be your girlfriend! ». She threw herself into his arms and hugged him with all her strength. She wasn't dreaming, Ichigo shared her feelings! For the first time in her life she felt truly happy. As if her efforts had not been in vain. She told herself that of all her misfortunes, she didn't regret any of them, since they had brought her to this day.

Ten years have now passed since the battle against Yhwach. Ichigo and Orihime are now married, as are Renji and Rukia. Our two couples, Ishida, Chad, and their friends from high school have gathered at Ichigo's father's house to have lunch together. However, it was impossible to eat quietly! Kazui Kurosaki, as redheaded as his parents, has just discovered how to use his Shinigami powers and has set out to challenge Ichika Abarai, the daughter of Rukia and Renji. I guess I'm not cut out for a quiet life, thought Ichigo, the Shinigami Substitute, brooding over the two children with a protective gaze.


End file.
